The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-09
SOME FACTS ABOUT CREosoTE.
Col Canady Tells How Wood is Pre-
served in Water.

served IN Water.
Col. w. P. Canady, of North Carolina,
Sergeant-at.Arms of the United States Sen
ate, besides being politician, knows a great
deal about creosote and how it is made The
Colonel is tall ,fine-looking man, as straight
as the pine tree of his State, and full of vim
and energy. He gave New York Mail
and Cypress reporter some facts about creo-
sote the other day at the Fifth Avenue Ho
tel. He said: 'Creosoting wood that has to
be used in damp places is the only method
TO preserve it from the decaying effects of
water and the insidious attacks of the teredo
worm. CreoSote is Il general name applied
to the products obtained from the de-
structive distillation of wool, coal and other
carbonaceous fuels, after the temperature
has risen above 900 or 800 Fahrenheit.
The oil thus obtained is termed creosote oil,
and is an excellent preventative of wood
The philosophy of its antiseptic and preserva-
tive qualities is simple. The oil chokes up
the pores of the wood, making it solid and
preventing the further entrance of air,
moisture and life. No gerIninal life can exist
i'll wood thoroughly creosoted, and the fatal
toredo worm dies from the effect of the oil.
You see the oil contains insoluble tar acids,
not only antiseptic in their nature, but also
possesses the power of cargulating the
albuminous or fermenting elements of
creosote made from pine! Well, heavily
rosined, fatty pine wood, subjected
to heat of 500 to 760' Fahrenheit within
closed iron cylinders, yields by distillation
and Condensation an excellent wood creosote
oil suitable for the preservation of wood.
When this oil is analysed it is found to con-
tain about per cent. of tar acids, about 10
per cent of the lighter oils, and at least 50
per cent of the heavier oils, insoluble in
either fresh, braclSish or salt water Expert
ence shows that preservation of timber is
manly due to those creosote oils which
require over 400 Fahrenheit for their
volatilization, and that the pure creo-
sote, with less tar acids and less
| light oils, gives the best results. Creosote
oil is forced into wood by means of
| hydraulic pressure The improvements
made upon the old charming processes are
very great. There is a carbonized process
which takes ordinary open-grained pine
| timber and subjects it to a dry, radiant
heat, within suitable cylindrical surfaces, in
| such a manner as to drive out of the timber
most of its sap and albuminous matter, dry
| ing the inside of the timber, charming its
outside and leaving the wood with its pores
| wide open and in condition to be com
| pletely filled with the OIL This process
| does not render the timber brittle.
| How much oil is required? Sawed lumber
only requires eight pounds per cubic foot.
| In logs used for piling twelve pounds of creo-
sote oil per cubic foot is all that is necessary
| for its preservation. During the manufac-
ture of creosote oil a pyrolgneous acid is
condensed in the still. This acid in its crude
and undiluted state is an excellent disinfec-
tant. The progress made in creosoting tim
Der within the past few years has been so
| great it would be unfair to predict to what
! extent it will be carried. Wood will be made
more lasting than any building material